Spin off Blogs by Dharma Dialogue contributors.
It’s finals week here at University of the West and the contributors of Dharma Dialogue have been busy completing their final projects. Please look for some of them to be adapted and appear on the blog over winter break. Classmates are working on papers, infographics, story collecting, and even websites of their own. In latter case, we have three exciting spin off blogs to announce. It appears some of our contributors have enjoyed blogging so much, they’re going to attempt to take it up as a habit. Please check out their wonderful blogs and continue to check back at Dharma Dialogue: Buddhism in the U.S. for ongoing posts. Although the class is over, the contributors were unanimous in their desire to keep the blog alive. Look for exciting contributions from other members of the UWest family in the months ahead.
Family Dharma is “Practicing in the midst of life” thanks to Joseph and Sarit Rogers. Per the site:
Joseph Rogers is a group facilitator, trained under Noah Levine, with Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He is also a Masters of Divinity in Buddhist Chaplaincy candidate at University of the West under the supervision of Reverend Danny Fisher. He currently teaches meditation to at risk youth, and co-facilitates the weekly young people’s group at ATS Santa Monica.
And
Sarit is a photographer specializing in fine-art portraiture, creative commercial photography, and lifestyle photography primarily made up of musicians, yogis and the occasional pinup. …Sarit writes for Visions Teen, covering a wide array of issues surrounding addiction, recovery, mental health, adolescence, and parenting. She also has a blog of her own dedicated to her photography. Some of her most inspired subjects is the integration of mindfulness, breath, yoga, and meditation into family and recovery.
Their blog will seek to explore 1) Buddhism in America as a minority religion, 2) Family in Buddhist practice, 3) Lay practice in American Buddhism, 4) Relationships out of context, and 5) Finding time for formal practice. Also, read Joseph’s first post on Dharma Dialogue if you haven’t already.
Path of Pleasure is “Using the Jhanas on the Buddha’s path to awakening” with classmate Buddhakaruna. He describes himself and the blog this way:
I practice the jhanas as taught by Ayya Khema and Leigh Brasington. These are often called the sutta jhanas to distinguish them from the Visuddhimagga jhanas, which may be an entirely different creature from what I practice (a form of cessation?).
I also may discuss my experience as a Master of Divinity student at the University of the West, an accredited Buddhist University in Los Angeles. This degree will allow me to be a professional interfaith chaplain.
My hope is that blog will help those interested in, or currently practicing the jhanas to awaken themselves. There are so few of us relative to the dry-Vipassana practitioners that it is often difficult to connect and share our experiences.
Recent posts discuss self-compassion and fear. Also check out Buddhakaruna’s earlier discussion of jhanas on Dharma Dialogue.
The Monkey King is “Taming the monkey mind in the Dhukka jungle” from Dancing Yellow Monkey. This is a collaborative blog and a place for story telling and experience sharing, so please join in the conversation.
Welcome to the digital hub for a new generation of young adult practitioners of the Dharma.
This is a place for young adult Buddhist practitioners and scholars to share their experience as a person of color in the U.S. Writings about one’s personal practices, relationships, work, parenting, social action, or various topics related to Buddhism in the U.S. are greatly encouraged. I invite you to share your experience.
This is a site for you. Please share your personal essays, poems, screenplays, short stories, art, photography, and video. Let your voice be heard!
Also, please read Dancing Yellow Monkey’s first post about young people of color in American Buddhism on Dharma Dialogue.
Finally, I shall continue to help edit and contribute to the blog along with our fearless leader, Dr. Jane Iwamura, Chair of Religious Studies at University of the West. You can read more about my adventures at Dharma Cowgirl. We hope you will keep following Dharma Dialogue, commenting, and contributing to the growing conversation about Buddhism in the U.S.
Post by Monica Sanford.
Dharma Dialogue: Buddhism in the U.S. 